The purpose of the African Women in Cinema Blog is to provide a space to discuss diverse topics relating to African women in cinema--filmmakers, actors, producers, and all film professionals. The blog is a public forum of the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.

soldiers of the dictatorial regime at the time, Francis leaves Haiti to settle in Abidjan, with his Ivorian wife, Aïssey, and his 12-year-old daughter Haïla. Francis is looking forward to the birth of an heir. As Aïssey is about to deliver, Abidjan is caught up in a civil war. Francis will discover the unsuspected courage of his daughter and comes to understand that she is the worthy heir to his illustrious ancestor.

My inspiration for Desrances came from the place of girls in our society. Until today we find in our community, parents who prefer putting their boy in school because a girl will leave the family: with a husband," said Traore. "It's important for me to show that a girl can be a heir as well as a boy. The story honors Haiti by showing the strength of a Haitian man, despite his multiple troubles. It's a positive and honorable reflection of Haiti. A poor and very problematical country that stays strong no matter the circumstances."

[The film Desrances relates]the story of a father who goes through a difficult phase with his family against the backdrop of the 2010-2011 political crisis. For several years, Francis Desrances and his wife fought to have a second child. His wife becomes pregnant except that the pregnancy will take place during the political crisis. The Desrances family are swallowed up in bigger problems. You will discover how they manage to get by on a daily basis. This is a dry reality of what happened during this period. It's poignant. The spectators will surely remember this period but we need it to keep moving forward. (From an interview in Elle.ci with Jimmy Jean-Louis who interprets Francis Desrances)

Apolline Traoré was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1976. During her childhood, she traveled over the world with her father who worked for the United Nations. At 17, she enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, USA, and received her bachelor in Media Art in 1998. From 1998 to 2001 she worked in Los Angeles on small independent films. She then decided to return home to make films about her continent, Africa. Sous la Clarté de la Lune, her fourth film, had its UK premiere at AiM 2007 (Africa in Motion, Edinburgh). Apolline Traoré directed Moi Zaphira! (2013) for which her lead actor (Mariam Ouedraogo) received the award for Best Actress at FESPACO 2013.